Published statistics show that approximately 98,000 people die and 770,000 are injured due to mistakes made in hospital and care facilities in the United States each year. U.S. government agencies are presently in the process of working on legislation to force change and put safeguards in place in this industry. Presently, there is no pill dispensing apparatus that solves these problems.
Published U.S. patent application 2001/0028308-A1 FIGS. 2-17 shows a pill container or vial hooked to a personal home computer or hospital or nursing home computer that alerts the patient when to take the medication but has no control over how many pills the patient takes. With open access to as many as you want the record keeping is of no use if the patient is dead. Also, the patient must have a personal computer. FIGS. 18-25 show a device that cannot handle a packaged pill and the personal computer can be reprogrammed at any time for more pills at the wrong time and combination. FIGS. 26-27 show access to a series of vials with the same results as FIGS. 2-17. FIG. 29 shows vials upside down on a dispensing unit with a slide (#885 Sheet 15). This device will not work or handle different size pills or packaged pills. FIGS. 31-34 show a tape tear off by hand hooked to the personal computer which can be reprogrammed for more and anytime delivery. FIGS. 35-39 show a small device on a pill container that when open the patient can take as many pills as they want. FIG. 41 shows a liquid dispenser that can be programmed as the patient wishes. FIG. 4-46 shows a small processor which gives access to the vial/container for consumption to as many pills as the patient wants FIGS. 51-70 all give access to any amount of pills left in the vial. Must have a software program to transfer information to computer. The memory strip in these device, does count and record, when the vial is out, but the patient can take as many pills as desired. This device will not work on odd shape or different size pills. The contacts on the device can count the number of times the vial is opened but has no control over how many pills are taken. Patient can change time of pill dose forward or backward. Separate machine to be portable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,606 discloses a device in which the patient preloads the twelve storage compartments for the upcoming 24 hour period. Patient loading errors on amount and type of dispensed pills is a real problem. The cartridge can be manually rotated (5-35) to take any amount any time. The dispensing time is not flexible. Settings are: Every Two Hours, Every Four Hours, Every six Hours, Every Twelve Hours. This device cannot handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,560 discloses a device that holds only one week of pills. All pill containers can be removed at will when desired by the patient. There is no overdose protection and the device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,711 discloses a device is basically a hand carry day planner with a small compartment to hold four types of pills for a single day. This device has no safe guards to insure the correct pill is taken at the correct time. The timer has limited settings of on the hour or ½ hour not both or anything in between. It cannot skip a day or days and is good for one day only.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,581 discloses a device in which the patient must reach into a small compartment to retrieve the pill (FIG. 1). The device holds 1 week supply of pills only and is microprocessor limited to four times a day. The device provides a difficult and clumsy way to reset base plates (FIGS. 8 & 9). The device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,952 discloses a device designed for home setting only. To take a pill the patient must push the dispense button. The description of portable to this device is to drop all pills for the day in a single portable container, which may be taken all at one time, any sequence, all at wrong time, with or without food if directed. The program must be loaded into the controller serial port #238 by external computer, external keyboard or keypad #220, card reader #222, phone port #232, or signal transmitter to remote receiver. This device has no safety guards against taking the wrong pill at the wrong time. The patient may change time and quantity at will. The device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,912 discloses a device that stores only one type of pill in the dispenser (FIG. 2). The pill dispensers are all the same shape and size, whereas pills come in hundreds of shapes and sizes. They do not stack or align themselves for single or multiple pill delivery. Even if some non-existing method of separating the pills was available the arthritic fingers of the patient could not open the door and retrieve the pills. This device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,551 discloses a medication monitoring system that can only be used with a computer central monitoring system. The system holds only one week's supply of pills. pills are available from a container with a hinged or removable lid with no control of how many pills can be taken. The device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,661 discloses a device that fits on the cap of the pill container and measures the time between the openings of the cap. There are no safe guards to prevent the patient from taking the wrong pill, wrong amount, at the wrong time. In the case of a habit-forming drug the patient can take them as often as they like. This device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,384 B1 discloses a portable reminding unit and the patient must have a pc type computer to operate it. This device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,100 B1 discloses a medication dispensing system in which the patient must press a button within a prescribed time to dispense a canister or canisters. Then the patient must open the canisters to retrieve the pills. (FIG. 3) The system holds only one week of medication. The patient can take as many pills as are in the canister and, thus, overdose is easy. This device will not handle packaged pills.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,962 B1 discloses a device having a 24 cavity storage wheel. The electronic system actuates two vanes at each signal so the system is only good for 12 days. The patient can manually advance the wheel any time desired to take additional pills. This device will not handle packaged pills.
My U.S. Pat. No. 8,453,874 discloses a pill dispensing device, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The prior art devices do not prevent overdose or wrong medication. There is a great need to provide a pill dispensing device that prevents patient overdose or wrong medication.